| Did you know that there are actually many English words that are borrowed from Chinese? Next on our list of English words borrowed from Chinese we have some different Chinese objects and animals. To start off we’re going to have a look at some traditional Chinese clothes.  Qipao/cheongsam One of the most iconic traditional Chinese dresses is the qipao also called a cheongsam. Qipao comes directly from the Mandarin 旗袍 qípáo, 旗 qí used to be a term for the Manchu people and 袍 means “gown”. Cheongsam then comes from the Cantonese 長衫 cheung saam which means “long gown”. In English cheongsam and qipao can be used interchangeably, however in Mandarin 长衫 chángshān refers exclusively to a male garment. Hanfu Another common traditional Chinese garment which was worn by the Han Chinese. Like qipao, this word just comes directly from the Mandarin 汉服 hànfú. Wok It should come as no surprise that this essential Chinese cooking utensil borrows its name from Chinese. It comes straight from the Cantonese 鑊 wok which in Mandarin is 镬 huò. However, in Mandarin speaking regions the character 锅 (guō) is actually used to refer to woks and pans. 锅 means pot and is one part of one of China’s most famous cuisines – hotpot 火锅 (literally fire pot). In this section we’re going to look at animal names that are borrowed from Chinese, which are actually all different types of dog breeds. Shih Tzu The name shih tzu comes directly from the Mandarin 狮子狗 shīzigǒu which means “lion dog” in Chinese. These were termed lion dogs in China because they were bred to look like mythical Chinese lions. However, in modern day China 狮子狗 shīzigǒu actually refers to Pekinese dogs and shih tzu are called 西施犬 xīshī quǎn instead. Shar Pei Just like shih tzu, Shar Pei is another direct translation and comes from the Cantonese 沙皮 sa pei (Mandarin 沙皮 shā pí). This literally translates to “sand skin” and refers to the brown, wrinkly skin that Shar Pei dogs have. |
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